Qilian Mountain Grassland

These places are worth visiting. Qilian Holy Land and Oriental Little Switzerland will definitely make your trip worthwhile.



When will we come to Qilian Prairie?

"Qilian" is an ancient Xiongnu word meaning "Tianshan Mountain". It is a natural barrier in the north of Qinghai and was known as the "northern gate of Qinghai". The southern line of the Silk Road passes through here. Qilian has snow-capped mountains, rich species and beautiful natural scenery. It is one of the areas in the world with the most intact original ecology. In addition, Qilian County is also a multi-ethnic settlement with strong ethnic minority customs.

The prairie, Arou Temple and Gangshika Snow Peak are all worth seeing. The surrounding Menyuan rapeseed flowers and Qinghai Lake are also very spectacular and are usually visited together on one route.



Menyuan begins its rape blossom season in early July every year, from July 5 to 25, with the best blooming period from July 10 to 20. In mid-July, the rape blossoms in Menyuan are in full bloom, and the flower scenery complements the local blue sky and white clouds, high mountains and flowing water, forests and grasslands, unique dwellings, and beekeepers, creating a unique and charming scenery that fascinates countless tourists.



Around Qilian, you can connect with Qinghai Lake or Zhangye and spend 3-4 days there. The route plan is as follows:

How to enjoy Qinghai Lake and its surrounding areas in autumn in 3 days?

D1 Depart from Xining - Ta'er Temple - Sun Moon Mountain - Daotang River - Qinghai Lake - Panoramic view of Nanshan - Overnight at Heima River;

D2 Sunrise at Qinghai Lake - Chaka Salt Lake - Return along the West Ring Road - Bird Island - Gangcha Grassland - Dadongshu Mountain - Overnight in Qilian

D3 Zhuoer Mountain - Qilian Grassland - Arou Temple - Jingyangling - Menyuan - Heiquan Reservoir - back to Xining.



How to explore Qinghai Lake and its surrounding areas in 4 days?

D1 Xining - Ta'er Temple - Sun Moon Mountain - Daotang River - Qinghai Lake - Panoramic view of Nanshan - Overnight stay in Heimahe (stay);

D2 After watching the sunrise - Chaka Salt Lake - return to the west road around the lake - Gangcha Grassland - Dadongshu Mountain - Binggou Daban Mountain - overnight in Qilian

D3 Zhuoer Mountain - Qilian Grassland - Arou Temple - Jingyang Ridge - Ebo - Zhangye Colorful Danxia - Zhangye (stay overnight);

D4 Zhangye Mati Temple - 227 Most Beautiful Road - Biandukou - Qilian Grassland_Menyuan - Dabanshan - Heiquan Reservoir - Xining

Near the Qilian Mountain grassland is a flat and vast green meadow with various small flowers blooming happily. I couldn't help but get off the car to take a closer look at the grassland. Although many grasses and wild flowers had a hard time growing among the rocks and on the thin soil, the beautiful Gesang flowers and many unknown small wild flowers stretched their bodies freely and still thrived.

The average altitude of the Qilian Mountains is between 4,000 and 5,000 meters. The long and wide glaciers formed by the snow on the mountains are magnificent and spectacular. We drove from Chengdu to the Qilian Mountains grasslands during the National Day holidays in 2016 and 2017. The two consecutive different landscapes made us feel the infinite magic and possibilities of nature.

More than 2,000 years ago, the Xiongnu who roamed the northern grasslands were driven out of the Hexi Corridor by Huo Qubing and could not help but lament: "The loss of Qilian Mountain has caused my livestock to stop breeding." Qilian means heaven in the Xiongnu language. The Qilian Mountain grassland is the most fertile pasture given by heaven. Because of its "beauty of integration", it is known as one of the six most beautiful grasslands in my country.

I have been to many grasslands, but this time I came to the Qilian Mountain grassland, which gave me a feeling of being huge. After driving for two or three hours, I saw endless green, which was really beautiful! The Qilian Mountain grassland is located in the Qilian Mountain Range at the junction of Gansu and Qinghai, and is a high-altitude grassland.

The Qilian Mountain grassland is known as one of the six most beautiful grasslands in China. It is very large. The river valleys and depressions in the Qilian Mountains have an average altitude of more than 3,000 meters; and the peaks of the Qilian Mountains are above 4,000 to 5,000 meters, so it looks like waves from a distance. The grassland in October is already a bit bare, and there is a sense of vastness. At noon, we went to Menyuan for lunch. Now we can no longer see the traces of rape flowers. It can also be seen in the restaurant. It is relatively deserted and there are not many tourists. I heard from the owner of the restaurant that the parking spaces here are packed in July and August every year, and it is difficult to find a room. They are all here to see the thousands of acres of rape flowers in Menyuan. I hope I will have the opportunity to come and see it again in the best season in the future.

The Qilian Mountains grassland is the most beautiful grassland in China. The clear waters of the Qilian Mountains are picturesque, the sky is high and the clouds are light, and the summer is like spring. The towering snow-capped peaks hold up the white Hada, and the vast grassland spreads out like a green carpet for thousands of miles, making the feelings of the Qilian Mountains deeply hidden in everyone's heart.

Qilian Mountain is located at the junction of Qinghai and Gansu. From the north of Qinghai Lake, leave National Highway 315 (between Gangcha and Atomic City) and head north, take Provincial Highway 204, and go up the mountain. The scenery along the way is very beautiful and the road conditions are also good. It is worth a walk. When you arrive at Qilian County, turn to Provincial Highway 302 towards Menyuan, which is also towards Zhangye. When you reach Ebao Town, take the National Highway.



Along the way, there are not only beautiful mountains and grasslands, but also various unique and beautiful scenery.



We have to pass through the Dadongshu Mountain Pass in Qilian Mountain, which is 4120 meters above sea level. It is the highest point of our trip.

Qilian Mountain Grassland, its representative Damaying Grassland is located in the basin between Yanzhi Mountain and Qilian Mountain. In July and August every year, the Qilian Mountain connected to the grassland is still covered with silver, while the grassland is green and dotted with horses, cattle and sheep. The name Qilian Mountain is the ancient Xiongnu language, meaning "mountain of the sky". To this day, the direct descendants of the Xiongnu who roam here, the Yao'er people, still call Qilian Mountain "Tengger Osaka", which also means "mountain of the sky". There are large grasslands and vast skies here, and the fusion of green and blue is very beautiful.

It was drizzling on the day we arrived, so we couldn't appreciate the true beauty of the Qilian grassland. We could only admire the grassland in a static state and couldn't go deep into it.

The scenery of Qilian is really beautiful, I didn’t expect it.

Looking down, I see herds of cattle and sheep; looking up, I see the azure blue sky with the magnificent Qilian Mountains in the middle. I can't help but sigh, how magnificent! How magnificent!

It was only May when we went there, and we couldn't see any grassland at all. We could only imagine what it would look like after it turned green.

The average altitude of the Qilian Mountains is between 4,000 and 5,000 meters. The long and wide glaciers formed by the snow on the mountains are magnificent. In July and August every year, the Qilian Mountains connected to the grasslands are still covered in silver, while the grasslands are vast and green, dotted with horses, cattle and sheep.

Tickets: Free (horse riding is of course charged separately); Suggested visiting time: any time (walk and see).

Qilian Grassland is one of the six most beautiful grasslands in China, with snow-capped mountains and green grass complementing each other.

The Qilian Mountains grasslands are in full bloom with colorful wild flowers, like stars scattered on the grassland, so beautiful!

We crossed the river along the stones, ran on the grassland, and chased the resting cows. If it hadn't suddenly started to rain, we would have been reluctant to leave this beautiful grassland.

There are a lot of field mice on the grasslands of Qilian Mountains. Their existence is actually harmful to the grasslands. They destroy the grass roots and make the grasslands bumpy. In some places, there is even a trend of grassland degradation and land desertification. In recent years, the local exploitation of mineral resources in the Qilian Mountains has severely damaged the ecological environment here. The news said that the central government has sent special teams to supervise and rectify the situation for two consecutive years. I sincerely hope that this beautiful land can recover its health!

The vast Qilian grassland along the way looks extremely comfortable.

The development of tourism has caused the demand for beef and mutton to increase exponentially, leading to overgrazing in pastoral areas and serious grassland degradation. The so-called Qilian Grassland is no longer the "heavenly realm" it once was. After walking for dozens of kilometers, there was really nothing to see, so we turned back.

There are several horse farms in the Qilian Grassland. The price of horse riding is said to be very affordable. I am more interested in the sheep walking nearby. But the lambs are timid. They looked at me with their heads erect for a while and then ran away. Unfortunately, my shutter speed is not as fast as theirs, so I only captured a few photos of their backs.

The beauty of Qilian Mountains cannot be captured by a camera; it can only be appreciated carefully and engraved in your heart.

Endless grasslands, yaks and goats everywhere, red river water, snow on distant mountains, golden sunshine, and comfortable herdsmen make the scenery picturesque.

If you take the Qinghai-Gansu line in August, as long as you are within Qinghai, you will mostly see the Qilian grassland scenery along the way, which is dazzling, beautiful and scenic everywhere.

My Qilian Mountains

Leaving Qinghai Lake, we rushed all the way to Zhangye. Tonight we will stay in Qilian County. The sky is blue, the clouds are white, and the cattle and sheep are in herds. The Qilian grassland is very beautiful. If it weren't for the eye-catching electric poles, it would be a Windows screen in every minute. Every grassland has its own story. My friends and I looked out the window silently. No one spoke, and no one shouted to stop the car, for fear of disturbing the scenery in front of us and interrupting our progress.

I just kept looking at the scenery and holding my urine along the way. Compared to the Qilian County that I had been thinking about all the time, I forgot about my prostate.

This time I went to the Northwest, I saw the golden sky of the Ejina Populus euphratica forest, the strange trees in the strange forest, the colorful Zhangye Danxia, and the sunrise and seagulls flying over the Juyan Lake. I thought that on the way from Zhangye to Xining on the 9th, I would just take a car all the way, and I asked the driver in advance, is the Qilian Mountains beautiful at this time? The driver said, there is nothing, you have to come in July and August. But I didn't expect to meet the most beautiful scenery here. Continuous snow-capped mountains, herds of cattle and sheep, undulating meadows, and white clouds, my God, every frame is a beautiful picture. And passing through an unknown village, the smoke curling up, just like Xinjiang Hemu Village, the kind of quiet and peaceful beauty, makes me want to cry a little. The whole journey can only be marveled: It's so beautiful, I can't find any words to describe it. It is also the only place I want to go to brush it again. So, if you go to the Northwest, you must go to National Highway 227 for a walk, it will tell you that the world is vaster than you think.

A different midsummer, the cattle and sheep in Qizou Mountain and the rape flowers in Qilian are touching and beautiful.

It is the largest ranch in the Far East, famous both at home and abroad. The best time to visit is July and August, as the grass has already turned yellow in October.

Walking along the Qilian Mountains, there are beautiful scenery all the way, with large stretches of grassland, the ground is green like a carpet, and you can also see the scene of cattle and sheep appearing when the wind blows the grass.

It's spectacular, and you can see a lot of sheep. Warm reminder, there are paid flush toilets on the grassland, otherwise...

You can stop and take pictures when you see a grassland you like, but be careful not to block other vehicles. The grassland is definitely a holy place for drones, so you don’t have to worry about flying freely. However, since it is all grassland, there are almost no public toilets. It is recommended that you find a toilet before driving out of Arou Avenue and drink less water afterwards.

It is very rare for friends in the south to see the grassland. The grass is not green in September, but it is very vast, the sky is low, the wind is high, the clouds are light, the snow-capped mountains, herds of cattle and sheep, yurts, and smoke form a beautiful picture. I didn't ride horses last time I went to Inner Mongolia. I thought it was a rare opportunity to come to the grassland, so I had to experience it. This time, I "galloped on horses" with the world as my companion. I drank the original milk tea of the grassland, put on ethnic costumes, and was immersed in the scene. The generous grassland women were possessed and danced gracefully. The friends sang and danced, letting themselves go.

Summer is the most beautiful season in the Qilian Mountain grasslands, and it is also the most suitable season for traveling. The sky is vast and the wilderness is boundless. Looking at the herds of cattle and sheep on the mountains and grasslands, and the breeze blowing, there is a sense of freedom and ease, "Let us be accompanied by the world of mortals, and live freely and unrestrainedly", which makes people want to ride a horse and enjoy the freedom of galloping. The mountains and clear waters are picturesque, the sky is high and the clouds are light, and the summer is like spring. What a unique grassland scenery on the plateau. In addition to the herds of cattle and sheep on the grassland, there are also many clever and timid grassland mice, which run very fast and are difficult to approach...

The scenery of the Qilian Mountains grassland is like a postcard. It is a wonderful thing to ride a horse on the grassland!

As soon as I arrived at the grassland, wow, words desktop~!

But it was really sunny and the wind was really strong

Roar, the kind that can even blow your hat off~!

The most interesting thing is the rabbits on the grassland that look like rabbits but don’t look like rabbits.

A pika that looks like a mouse but not like a mouse

Uh uh uh... I guess I can't praise it as cute because it's a pest

The Qilian Mountains grassland is the most beautiful grassland in China. The clear waters of the Qilian Mountains are picturesque, the sky is high and the clouds are light, and the summer is like spring. The towering snow-capped peaks hold up the white Hada, and the vast grassland spreads out as a green carpet for thousands of miles, making the feelings of the Qilian Mountains deeply hidden in everyone's heart.

It is worthy of the name of Little Switzerland. It is really beautiful. The higher you climb, the more beautiful the scenery will be. The scenery is so beautiful that you will never want to leave.

Deep in the hinterland of Qilian Mountain, it is one of the six most beautiful grasslands in China. The melting water of Qilian Mountain provides sufficient irrigation, the climate is humid, rivers are crisscrossed, and animal husbandry is prosperous. In history, it is an excellent military horse pasture fought for by various forces. The only way to Zhuoer Mountain in Qilian County is incomparable with the Bashang Grassland near the imperial capital, and it is definitely worth the trip.

Driving into the mountains, the continuous mountains looked like God's overturned paint palette, or like a carpet, with patches of green and yellow. There were small lakes between the scattered mountains. It was evening, and the warm setting sun shone over, and the peaceful lake surface was shining, without a single ripple.

It is totally worthy of five-star praise. I feel that there is no place in the country that can compare with Bayinbuluke. The grassland here is too pure, the herdsmen are still simple and honest, and there is little commercial atmosphere. Riding a horse to see the yurts is still very unique. The cattle and sheep are really countless, and the mountains are all over the sea of sheep. Qilian is really a paradise on earth, with forests on one side and grasslands on the other. The scenery on both sides is quite excellent, with almost no shortcomings. There are more than 100 kilometers of grasslands from Ebao to the county seat, and the core is still on National Highway 227 within 50 kilometers of Ebao. The beauty is breathtaking, as if you are in Mongolia.

Note: There is basically no grassland on National Highway 227 in Gansu.

So the Qilian Grassland is still within the Qilian County.

The blue sky, the boundless green grassland, the wind blowing the grass low and seeing the cattle and sheep, the scenery is on the road

Even though it was raining, it was nice to see a lot of yaks.

When passing from Zhangye to Xining, you can ride a horse and see rats whose names you don’t know.

The prairie is a place where you can forget yourself and everything around you and let yourself go.

The Qilian Mountains are really beautiful, the Qinghai Lake Ring Road is a kind of enjoyable beauty, and this section of the road is another kind of beauty, a rugged and magnificent beauty!

From Qilian County, take bus 302 to Ebao Town and then take bus 227 to Daban Mountain. It takes two or three hours to drive. The whole way is green grassland between two distant mountains. There are tens of thousands of cattle and sheep scattered on the grassland. The song "Beat the Hand Drum and Sing Song" was playing in the car on repeat, and we marveled at the vastness of the magnificent mountains and grasslands.

The grasslands here are so beautiful, so beautiful, so beautiful, with the endless Qilian Mountains, the clean blue sky, the thick white clouds, and the layers of colors from afar, like an unfolding scroll.

Qilian is worthy of its reputation as the Little Switzerland of the East, with grasslands filled with cattle and sheep and a magnificent sea of forests.

Herds of cattle and sheep on the grassland

The dog and rat on the grassland become spirits

They are smart, cute and very interesting. I heard that groundhogs love kissing and only with a kiss can they recognize the groundhog opposite them.



Note:

1. Horse riding fees: (1) per circle, RMB 50 per person per circle; (2) per hour, RMB 100 per 30 minutes.

2. Others: The boy and girl leading the horses said that the horses on the grassland are quite wild, so to ensure safety, do not act recklessly.

The sky is high and the clouds are light. The grassland is vast and green. There are herds of cattle and sheep, quietly and naturally grazing on the hillside. From a distance, it looks like wild flowers dotted on the hillside grassland. When you look closely, you will find that the "wild flowers" can move! Because of these cattle and sheep, the entire Qilian Mountain grassland has added vitality.

There are large tracts of flowers on the road, grasslands on both sides, and the mandarin duck flower sea makes people intoxicated

Unfortunately, when I got here, the rape flowers were gone! It is a pity!

Known as the six most beautiful grasslands in China, it may be too well-known and the expectations are too high, so after seeing it, people will think it is just so-so. In fact, it is still very beautiful, with blue sky, white snow-capped mountains, and golden grass.

The wind blows the grass low and you can see cattle and sheep. The grassland mountains are really full of sheep, yaks and horses, which are leisurely eating grass with their heads down. A cute yak kept looking at us.

The Qilian Prairie has a flat terrain and abundant grass and water. We passed by here on the last day of our tour around the lake. From Qilian Ebao Town to Menyuan, we have to pass through the Qilian Prairie. The rolling grasslands, grassy hills, and herds of yaks and sheep made us stop and play.

The beautiful scenery on the roadside and the occasional flocks of sheep and cattle made everyone laugh! Think about the traffic congestion, the noise in the subway, the busy work in the city... and here: herds of sheep and cattle grazing leisurely on the grass, the vastness, tranquility and peace of the grassland... It's really two different worlds!

The beauty of Qilian Mountains is unique in the desert Gobi. Only after experiencing the bitterest cold wind can it usher in the vitality of the next year, as tenacious as the tenacious life on this plateau.

The forbearance of early spring always has a vibrant vitality, which cannot be seen or heard, but is there and cannot be ignored.

The dormancy before life blooms always brings people the greatest expectations and surprises.

This mountain range is very long and the scenery is amazing. It is worth going! Of course, you have to go at the right time!

A very natural attraction, no tickets required, very good.

I have long heard of this place and finally got to see it today. Unfortunately, I have become immune to alpine meadows in the past few days. Apart from a few scattered snow-capped mountains, I did not find anything new.

I really want to ride a horse and gallop on the prairie~~~ Unfortunately, I don’t have this skill... TT

The Qilian grassland is covered with snow, and there are wild rabbits jumping around in the snow.

I just passed by and took a look at other places on the Qilian Mountain grassland. The young man in the horse riding place was super manly. We two single young women were carried off the horse and our eyes were filled with love instantly.

There are colorful prayer flags here, you can carpool, and there are all kinds of small flowers. Nature is really never boring and very pleasing to the eye!

We tried riding horses (30 yuan/person) and walked around the grassland in a relatively large circle. The herdsmen pulled the horses slowly, which was not scary at all. When the horses quietly walked a little faster, I was still very panicked.

Recommendation index: five stars.

[Qilian Grassland] The more praises it receives, the more charming it is. However, there is no need to enter the scenic area. If you pass by the entrance of the scenic area and keep going forward, you will see many racecourses. The scenery of these herdsmen's enclosures is more beautiful. There are many marmots in the natural grasslands. These little cuties add a lot of vitality to the grasslands. Of course, there are open grasslands without barbed wire farther away from the scenic area. If the weather is clear, you can also take good photos. I prefer these natural niche areas. Unfortunately, when we parked and prepared to take aerial photos, there was an unexpected rainstorm, so we had to give up.

The snow-capped mountains opposite have melted, otherwise you could not appreciate their beauty. Today the sun is shining, the sea is blue, and the sky is blue. The mountains are green and golden. I am intoxicated by the beautiful scenery. It is worthy of being called the Heavenly Qilian. If you don't come to appreciate it, you will never be able to feel this most beautiful scenery.

On the hillside and in the grassland, flocks of lambs can be seen everywhere. The sky is blue, the clouds are low, the sun shines through the clouds onto the hillside, and the mountains are full of rapeseed flowers, like a picture in a painting.

 

The seemingly scattered scenic spots on the Gansu-Qinghai loop are actually centered around one center: the Qilian Mountains. The Qilian Mountains always accompany you on the road, and the driver admires the Qilian Mountains all the way. All the scenic spots are under the protection of the Qilian Mountains.

"The loss of Mount Qilian has left my livestock without rest" (the lament of the Xiongnu after they were driven away from Mount Qilian by the Western Han general Huo Qubing)

Qilian Mountain is not an isolated thin mountain, but a mountain range of thousands of mountains. Under the blowing of the Pacific monsoon, it has become a wet island extending into the arid area of the northwest. Without Qilian Mountain, the desert of Inner Mongolia would be connected with the desert of Qaidam Basin. It is because of Qilian Mountain, the glaciers on the extremely high mountains and the rainfall in the mountains that rivers have developed, oases have been created, the prosperous Hexi Corridor has been nurtured, and the world-famous Silk Road has emerged, protecting the Chinese people through the vast deserts and Gobi in the northwest and heading to the Western Regions.

Along the way, Qilian Mountain has three different landscapes: forest, grassland and desert. The vast Qilian grassland is the most beautiful landscape of Qilian Mountain. The grassland extends from the river valley to the distant halfway point of the mountain. Looking far into the distance, it is all green.

The prairie, herds of yaks and fresh air make you feel relaxed and happy.

Because it was just the foot of the mountain and the grass was a little patchy, I didn't want to be a bunch of wild horses anymore... But I saw a lot of cute little groundhogs~ Hamtaro, where are you!

It was the first time I knew there were things running around on the grassland. They were so cute. The herders said they were marmots and mice. Also, horses were so handsome, but camels were cuter.

Zhangye---Qilian Mountains (130 kilometers away, about 2.5 hours by car), there are many beautiful scenery along the way to Qilian Mountains.

People who do not live on the grassland must walk on the grassland, especially with cattle and sheep walking beside them, looking at the continuous mountains in the distance and the magnificent mountains and rivers, and feeling infinite love for the motherland in their hearts!

Enter the heart of the Qilian grassland through the Oboling Pass and feel the vastness of the sky and the vast grassland scenery. Empty yourself between heaven and earth and feel the vastness of the earth and the magic of life. The lunch break is at the grassland family, where you can ride horses and shoot arrows to experience the life of the grassland children (but we can't gallop on the grassland, there are professional staff leading the horses to walk around the grassland).

The wind blew through the grass and I saw cattle and sheep. It felt so good to look up at the snow-capped mountains! There were cattle and sheep everywhere, so there must be cattle and sheep poop everywhere. All the restlessness disappeared without a trace at this moment.

You can see it after passing Menyuan Station on the Lanzhou-Xinjiang High-Speed Railway.

Thanks to the island chef Xie Baojun, who took photos for us and carried our luggage along the way. He was attentive, talkative, kind and smiling. Thanks to Huaer Outdoor for this platform

Although the rape blossom season has passed in Qilian Mountains, we still came to the top of Zhuoer Mountain and deeply appreciated the magnificent scenery of the heavenly Qilian.